Public Health Reviews (Apr 2022)

Methods Matter: A Comparative Review of Health Risk Assessments for Ambient Air Pollution in Switzerland

  • Alberto Castro,
  • Alberto Castro,
  • Martin Röösli,
  • Martin Röösli,
  • Kees de Hoogh,
  • Kees de Hoogh,
  • Ron Kappeler,
  • Ron Kappeler,
  • Meltem Kutlar Joss,
  • Meltem Kutlar Joss,
  • Danielle Vienneau,
  • Danielle Vienneau,
  • Nino Künzli,
  • Nino Künzli

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2022.1604431
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 43

Abstract

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Objectives: Air pollution health risk assessments (AP-HRAs) provide a method to quantify health effects for entire populations. In Switzerland, AP-HRAs are included in Swiss assessments for Transport Externalities (STEs), ordered by public authorities since the 1990s. This study aimed to describe the differences among national and international AP-HRAs for Switzerland.Methods: We compared input data, approaches and results across AP-HRAs over time. Results and input data for each AP-HRA were expressed as a ratio compared to the most recent STE (in most cases STE-2010).Results: Substantial variation across AP-HRAs was found. For all-cause adult mortality attributed to particulate matter (the most frequent outcome-pollutant pair), the ratio in HRAs oscillated from 0.40 to 2.09 (times the STE-2010 value). Regarding input data, the ratio ranged from 0.69 to 1.26 for population exposure, from 0 to 1.81 for counterfactual scenario, from 0.96 to 1.13 for concentration-response function and from 1.03 to 1.13 for baseline health data.Conclusion: This study demonstrates that methods matter for AP-HRAs. Transparent and possibly standardized reporting of key input data and assumptions should be promoted to facilitate comparison of AP-HRAs.

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